Electric oscillator



Feb. 18, 1936. O.VM,. SHATTUCK EI'AL 2,031,076

ELECTRIC OSCILLATOR Filqd June 12, 1934 Quorum;

Ema/M04 5 0- I a flue-W Patented Feb. 18, 1936 PATENT OFFICE stators ELECTRIC OSCILLATOR Owen M. Shattuck and Murl E. Fulk, Philo, Ohio; laid Shattuck assignor to said Falk- Application June 12, 1934, Serial No. 730,365

4 Claim.

This invention relates to electric oscillators and particularly to a construction of this character in which a wheel is oscillated in opposite directions automatically, this oscillation of the wheel being capable of being used to control timing devices, flashing signals, time limit relays, toys, vibrators, electrical interruptors and many other similar uses. The general object of the invention is to provide an oscillator or interrupter of this character which is particularly simple and may be cheaply made, requires but little power, is particularly compact and secures a perfect operation under wide variations of temperature.

A further object is to provide means whereby the range of oscillation of the wheel may be varied within relatively wide limits, thus varying the time or number of oscillations per minute.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherelnz- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the oscillator, the frame being shown in section and the electrical connections being shown diagrammatically;

Figure 2 is an elevation of the armature and magnet, the frame being in section.

Refen'ing to the drawing, in designates a base of insulating material supporting p n it the frame ii of metal." This frame has extending across it the supporting braces i2 riveted to the frame at l3. Extending through these supports orbraces I2 is a shaft i4 carrying upon it the wheel I! which at one point is provided with a weight l6 so that the wheel' is unbalanced.

Diametrically opposite the weighted portion IE is an outwardly extending lug ll of insulating material but rigidly fixed upon the wheel. Disposed in the path of movement of the lug or arm I1 is an impact block i8 supported by a coiled compression spring [3 in turn-carried by an ad- Justing screw 20 passing through the frame ll preferably adJacent the base "and held in ad- Justed position by the lock nut 2 I.

Disposed as fliustrated in the upper portion of the frame is a magnet 22 shown as supported by the screw 23. Associated with this magnet is the armature 24 pivoted at to the frame and urging this armature outward away from the core of the electro-magnet 22 is a retractile spring 23 which is connected to an adjusting screw 21 through the frame and through an inaulating block 28 supported by the frame. This adiusting screw is held in adjusted position by the lock nut 29 or any other suitable means. Thus the tension on the spring 26 may be adjusted.

The armature 24 carries upon it an insulating piece 30 against which the spring 26 bears and also carries upon it a contact 3i which is insulated from the armature. Mounted upon the face of the armature which confronts the electromag'net is a leaf spring 32 and carried by this leaf spring is a contact 33. This leaf spring is held in place in any suitable manner as by the 1 pin '34, but this pin and spring are insulated from the armature.

Extending from the spring 32 is a conductor 35 which is loose or formed in a spiral so that the armature may easily vibrate. The pin 3| is connected by a conductor 36 to the spring 26.

The coil of the electro-magnet is connected at oneend to a conductor 31 which extends through an insulated opening in the frame i I and extends to a switch 33. This switch is connected to a 2 battery 33 and the other pole of the battery is connected by a wire III to a binding post 4| on the frame Ii to which. binding post the conductor 35 is connected. Also extending from the binding post 4| is a conductor 42 which is connected to a a;

condenser 43 which in turn is connected by a conductor 44 to the spring 26 and to the other end of the coil of the electro-magnet 22.

The operation of this structure is as follows:-, Normally the leaf spring 32 is biased outwardly 31 so that the contacts 33 and 3| are supported from each other and, therefore, no current passesto the electro-magnet. On starting this oscillator, the wheel i5 may be turned until the lug II has. compressed the spring It a certain amount. 3 Upon the release of the wheel, the rebound of the spring [9 will swing the wheel in a clockwise direction in Figure 1 until the lug l'l strikes the spring 32. This will push the armature 24 away from the electro-magnet until the resilience of 4f the spring 32 has been overcome. Then the contacts 3i and 33 will touch and current will pass from the battery 39 to the coil of the magnet 22, which, being energized, will attract the armature 24. in Figure 1 checking the rotation of the wheel in a clockwise direction and reversing this rotation so that the wheel will now oscillate in the opposite direction until the lug II has again compressed the spring l3. As soon as the strength of the so spring I! becomes greater than the inertia of the wheel, the spring i9 will rebound, reversely rotating the wheel and so on.

With this construction, the range of movement of the wheel i 5 and hence the number of oscllla- 66 The armature will move toward the left 44! thus given to the wheel per minute may be ment or the wheel, thespring,

varied by retracting the spring 19 and the impact block I 8 or shitting it forward, that is, toward the left in Figure 1. This will secure a variation in the range 0! movement of the wheel from 150 to 220, thus securing a wide variation of the number of oscillations per minute.

It will be seen that the device is extremely simple, that it may be very compactly made, and that it requires but few parts and these are not likely to getout of order. which the wheel I! is mounted may be used for making or breaking a current through time limit relays, vibrators, signals or the like and that the device may be used as an oscillator for securing the oscillations or corresponding movements of any device to which the shaft Il may be attached.

While we have illustrated certain details of construction and arrangements 01- parts, it is to be understood that many changes might be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:-- I r 1. A device of the character described, including a wheel having a lug thereon, a spring dis-' posed in the path of movement oi the lug and struck by said lug after a predetermined movewhen the inertia oi the wheel has been overcome, actingto reverse the movement 0! the wheel, an electro-magnet, and means actuated by the magnet and engaged by said lug alter a predetermined reverse movement oi the wheel efiecting energization of the 1 electro-magnet and the movement of said means against the lug to reversely impel the wheel.

2. A device of the character described, including a wheel having a lug thereon, a spring disposed in the path oi movement of the lug and struck by said lug after a predetermined movement or the wheel, the spring, when the inertia of the wheel has been overcome, acting to reverse the movement of the wheel, and electro-magnetic means for reversing the movement of the wheel including an electro-magnet, an armature disposed in the path of movement .0! the lug and urged by the lug away iromthe electro-magnet,

The shaft l4 upon and means carried by the armature automatically closing the circuit through the electro-magnet as the lug contacts said armature.

3. A' flasher mechanism of the character described, including a wheel having a lug thereon, a spring disposed in the path of movement of the wheel and struck by said lug after a predetermined movement oi the wheel in one direction,

the spring, when the inertia of the wheel has been overcome, acting to reverse the movement of the wheel, and electro-magnetic means for again reversing the movement of the wheel including an electro-magnet, an armature therei'or supported normally in spaced relation to the magnet, a spring resisting movement of the armature toward the magnet, a contact on the free end of the armature, a leaf spring carried on the i'ree end oi! the armature in the path of movement of the lug and carrying a contact resiliently supported in spaced relation to the first named contact, the leaf spring in the first named contact being connected in a normally interrupted circuit with the source 01' current and the electro-magnet whereby as the lug strikes the contact on the leaf spri g, the contact will be carried into electrical engagement with the contact on the end of the armature and a circuit will be completed through the electro-magnet, to thus cause the armature to be pulled in a direction to give a reverse impulse to the wheel.

.4. A flasher mechanism comprising an electromagnet, a pivotally mounted armature for said magnet, spring means normally urging said armature away from the magnet, a rotatably mounted wheel, a lug carried disposed in the path of the lug to be struck thereby to effect reverse rotation 01 the wheel, said 7 armature having a portion disposed in the path of the lug, and an electric circuit controlling element carried by the armature and adapted to be struck by the lug to effect the closing 0! a circuit having said magnet therein, said lug in striking the circuit controlling means operating to move the armature away from the magnet.

by the wheel, spring means MURL E. FULK. 

